Arab Women Making Their Mark In Sports

"It doesn't matter the religion, the culture. When she has the sporting foundation, she is coming," executive director of the Olympic Committee's Schools Programme Mohamed al Fadala said.

For the first time, countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia are sending women to the 2012 Olympic games in London.

However what’s remarkable isn’t that Arab women are playing sports — what is remarkable is the ordinary.

Assistant coach for the Northwestern University Wildcats women’s basketball team Anne Peterson has worked with many Arab and Muslim women with the team for the past two years.

A young Arab Muslim woman living in the Gulf can get a thrill from a clutch defensive rebound late in the fourth quarter, or get amped up by a sick layup off the transition, and it actually has nothing to do with her being an Arab Muslim woman. It does, however, have everything to do with her being an athlete. That her thrill of victory or agony of defeat would feel any different from a male American athlete is absurd.

Qatar said they have encouraged women to play sports in the Olympics, no matter what their religion or culture.

“Females gained a lot in the last ten years – more than the 50 or 60 years beforehand. But they have to work hard, and they are working hard – harder than men,” Qatari writer Dr. Moza al Malki said.

Liz Leslie is a journalist based in Bloomington, Indiana. As an associate Web producer for WFIU, Liz maintains the Muslim Voices Twitter and Facebook as well as writes for the blog. She also contributes to Earth Eats.More posts by this author »